Local high school wrestlers are fresh off another busy stretch on the league and tournament mats, as athletes begin a final push toward the all-important postseason.
The week began with El Molino traveling to Montgomery for a Jan. 16 dual meet, with the boys losing all six matches that were contested. The Lions did not go home without a win however, as sophomore Hannah Ricioli defeated her Montgomery opponent in the only official girls match contested.
Also competing for El Mo in exhibition matches were Bianca Gomez and Ardenne “Chevy” Chevrolet.
On Saturday, the Lady Lions sent a small contingent to the fourth annual Lady Jaguar Classic at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo, a meet that showcased the fastest growing female sport in the country.
Ricioli came into the tourney as the No. 2 seed at 143 pounds and proceeded to pin her first three opponents to storm into the finals against the No. 1 seeded wrestler, Micaela Contreras. The match was close through the first period when Ricioli began the second in the down position and scored a reversal, putting Contreras on her back to score a win by fall.
“Hannah’s hard work and conditioning really paid off in this match,” El Mo coach Ron Wright said later. “She was selected as the most outstanding wrestler for the tournament and improved to 28-6 on the year.”
After the meet Ricioli received some more exciting news when she learned that she’s been selected to join Team California at the U.S. Marine Corps Girls Folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma City, March 21 through 24. There, she’ll be training with several state and nationally ranked wrestlers.
“In Oklahoma, she’ll compete against the best female wrestlers in the country, and we’re all very excited that she got this opportunity,” Wright said.
Also competing for the Lions at the Lady Jaguar Classic tourney was freshman Ardenne Chevrolet, who earned a fifth place medal in the 160-pound weight class.
“Chevy is learning and growing with every match and is really developing in her first season,” Wright noted. “She is a tough competitor and has a never-quit attitude.”
Next up for the Lions is a dual meet against Piner on Jan. 22 (after press time), followed by a boys tournament in Ukiah on Saturday, Jan. 26.
Analy competes at Puma Classic
The Analy Tigers sent four wrestlers to the prestigious Puma Classic tourney hosted by Maria Carrillo on Jan. 19. Leading the way for the Tigers was 122-pound junior Preston Bagan, who went 3-2 on the day to place fifth.
“Preston was in the deepest weight class of the tournament and possibly the whole North Coast Section,” Analy coach Francisco Manriquez said. “In his weight class alone, there were four state qualifiers and two retiring section champions.”
Also competing for the Tigers on Saturday were 152-pound sophomore Lorenzo Robles (2-2), 145-pound senior Jimmy Carreras (0-2) and 120-pound sophomore Zach Fogg (0-2).
Analy will host Elsie Allen in a league dual meet this Wednesday, Jan. 23, starting at 6 p.m.
